Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich eviscerated President Barack Obama's "pathetic presidency" Tuesday, saying any executive action he might take to provoke Republicans to impeach him is aimed at helping Democrats raise money for November elections.

Speaking at an annual National Conservative Student Conference at George Washington University in the nation's capital, the CNN "Crossfire" co-host said Republicans shouldn't take the bait, The Daily Caller reported.

"There is a rumor that the president, around Labor Day, may use executive action to legalize 5 million people who are here outside the law," Gingrich said. "And I think if they do it, it will be trying to provoke the Republicans to institute impeachment."

Talk of the possible executive action began late last week, when Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez said he was sitting down with White House officials on the matter.

But Gingrich warned that a retaliatory impeachment effort won't succeed, asserting, "It’s the Democrats who want to talk about it because they raise money off of it."

"These people are pretty desperate," Gingrich said. "Nothing is working, and so they are looking for some fight that allows them to re-polarize the country in terms that help them in the election.

"I think we ought to laugh at them and say 'if the best you can do after six years of the presidency is to yell impeachment and hope that you can raise money, it is a pretty pathetic presidency.'

"And by the way, it is a pretty pathetic presidency."

Democrats have been able to energize their base and increase fundraising by raising the specter of impeachment. House Speaker John Boehner tried to put the notion to rest Tuesday, saying there will be no impeachment move.

Even so, Gingrich said that if the reported move to legalize millions were attempted, "the country would go crazy if the president were to do something so stupid," the Daily Caller reported.

Gingrich told the gathering that the right way for the GOP to combat any such executive action would be to pass a bill in the House declaring it illegal, putting Democrats in the Senate in a tough spot.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich eviscerated President Barack Obama's "pathetic presidency" Tuesday, saying any executive action he might take to provoke Republicans to impeach him is aimed at helping Democrats raise money for November elections.